UPDATE: THE STATE OF WYOMING HAS NOW APPEALED THE LOWER COURT'S DECISION TO TOSS OUT ITS MERITLESS LAWSUIT; WE ARE NOW DEFENDING THE LOWER COURT DECISION AT THE TENTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS.
On December 17, the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, joined by The Cloud Foundation, Return to Freedom, photographer Carol Walker (who is also a board member of the Wild Horse Freedom Federation) and photographer Kimerlee Curyl, filed a motion to intervene in the State of Wyoming lawsuit against the BLM seeking the removal of hundreds of wild horses from the range. This is the latest attack on wild horses by a small but powerful group of ranchers and their political allies who view wild horses as competition for cheap, taxpayer-subsidized grazing on our public lands. Fewer than 2,500 wild horses remain in the State of Wyoming, but that does not stop Governor Matt Mead and the State of Wyoming from scapegoating wild horses for environmental destruction cause by vastly larger numbers of cattle and sheep that graze the public lands in that state.
This lawsuit is part of a pattern in which the ranchers and local governments file lawsuits against the BLM and then the agency uses these lawsuits as an excuse to roundup and remove horses from the public lands. In the case of the wild horses on the Wyoming Checkerboard, the federal government actually invited ranchers to sue as a mechanism for securing more funding for wild horse roundups!
Fewer than 2,500 wild horses remain in Wyoming and we know from experience that we can't count on the federal government to defend them. That's why we've filed to intervene in this case and we intend to give Wyoming's last mustangs the best defense possible against this latest legal assault.
Media
- Wyoming won't back down in wild horse lawsuit
- Wild horse advocates push to enter Wyoming lawsuit
- Wyoming Sues Feds Over Wild Horse Management
- Wild horse advocates speak out against Mead’s lawsuit against the BLM
- Federal appeals court in Denver dismisses lawsuit calling for wild horse roundup in Wyoming
- Appeals Court: Roundup not required for overpopulated horses
- Bently Foundation "Wild Night" to benefit American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign
- In major decision, 10th rules Wyoming can't force BLM to remove wild horses
- Court tosses Wyoming mustang removal appeal
Press Releases
- Court Grants Wild Horse Advocates’ Motion to Intervene in Another Rancher Anti-Mustang Lawsuit
- Federal Court Dismisses State of Wyoming Cattlemen’s Anti-Mustang Lawsuit
- Federal Court Rules BLM Violated Law in Wyoming Wild Horse Roundup
- Monday: Federal Court to Hear Lawsuit Against Massive BLM Wild Horse Roundup
- Court Grants Wild Horse Advocates Right to Intervene in State of Wyoming Anti-Mustang Lawsuit
Legal Docs
TENTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS
- Wyoming's Opposition
- RSGA's Opposition
- Foster Declaration
- Feds' Opposition
- Reply Brief
- Intevenors Opening Brief
- Government's Answering Brief
- District Court Ruling
- Wyoming's Opening Brief
- Govt's Answering Brief
- Intervenors' Answering Brief
- Wyoming's Reply Brief
- Ruling Affirming District Court Decision
LOWER COURT
- State of Wyoming vs. DOI
- Attachment 1
- Attachment 2
- Attachment 3
- AWHPC, et. al. Motion to Intervene
- AWHPC, et. al. Memorandum in Support of Motion to Intervene
- Declaration of Suzanne Roy
- Declaration of Ginger Kathrens
- Declaration of Carol Walker
- Order Granting Motion to Intervene
- AWHPC et. al. Motion to Dismiss
- Wyoming Stockgrowers Amicus Brief
- Order Granting Motion to Dismiss